Hendersonville's Main Street falls short in online contest

Special to the Times-News

Published: Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at 2:46 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at 2:46 p.m.

RALEIGH - Union Street in downtown Concord has been named the People's Choice for “Great Main Street,” and Clayton's Riverwood neighborhood has earned bragging rights as the People's Choice for “Great Neighborhood for Kids.”

The awards are part of the second "Great Places in North Carolina" initiative sponsored by the North Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association to celebrate great communities throughout the state.

Hendersonville's Main Street had been named as a finalist for the “People's Choice” award in the “Great Main Streets” category.

More than 2,000 votes were cast by North Carolinians during the online voting contest.

An expert panel selected five other North Carolina main streets, from the mountains to the coast, for recognition. From dozens of nominations submitted, the panel named Fayetteville's Hay Street, Raleigh's Fayetteville Street, Davidson's Main Street and Blowing Rock's Main Street as “Great Main Streets,” and Elkin's Main Street as a “Great Place in the Making.”

“All of these ‘Great Main Streets' are vibrant town centers that help build community,” said Ben Hitchings, president of APA-NC. “Through this program, we celebrate some of the great places in our state and the local partnerships that have made these streets a focal point for community life.”

“As planners, we know the importance of public-private partnerships in ensuring great communities,” said Emily Beddingfield, co-chair of the initiative. “We want to recognize the great places in our beautiful state and the teams of people who worked together to create places that people love and cherish.”

A ceremony will be held in each community this spring to recognize local planning efforts. All of the communities will be featured on www.greatplacesnc.org.

<p>RALEIGH - Union Street in downtown Concord has been named the People's Choice for “Great Main Street,” and Clayton's Riverwood neighborhood has earned bragging rights as the People's Choice for “Great Neighborhood for Kids.” </p><p>The awards are part of the second "Great Places in North Carolina" initiative sponsored by the North Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association to celebrate great communities throughout the state. </p><p>Hendersonville's Main Street had been named as a finalist for the “People's Choice” award in the “Great Main Streets” category. </p><p>More than 2,000 votes were cast by North Carolinians during the online voting contest. </p><p>An expert panel selected five other North Carolina main streets, from the mountains to the coast, for recognition. From dozens of nominations submitted, the panel named Fayetteville's Hay Street, Raleigh's Fayetteville Street, Davidson's Main Street and Blowing Rock's Main Street as “Great Main Streets,” and Elkin's Main Street as a “Great Place in the Making.” </p><p>“All of these 'Great Main Streets' are vibrant town centers that help build community,” said Ben Hitchings, president of APA-NC. “Through this program, we celebrate some of the great places in our state and the local partnerships that have made these streets a focal point for community life.”</p><p> </p><p>“As planners, we know the importance of public-private partnerships in ensuring great communities,” said Emily Beddingfield, co-chair of the initiative. “We want to recognize the great places in our beautiful state and the teams of people who worked together to create places that people love and cherish.”</p><p> </p><p>A ceremony will be held in each community this spring to recognize local planning efforts. All of the communities will be featured on www.greatplacesnc.org.</p>